Fingerprints/Criminal Record Check (Canadian Teachers)

what is the contributing agency?

I don't know.  Sorry. 

And then what? send the form to Canada to be taken to an RCMP office, give them the form, and get the criminal record check?

Yes.  If there's some magical way to get a Canadian money order from here, you can send it directly to the RCMP office yourself, but I don't know of any way to obtain one in Korea.  You'll have to have a friend or family member obtain acceptable payment (certified cheque or Canadian money order) and then send your forms and money to the RCMP on your behalf.

When I go to immigration to renew my visa do I need to have a fingerprint form?

When you go to immigration you will need the criminal record check.  You will not need the fingerprint form.  I'm not sure if the check has to be certified or apostilled or whatever, though. 

Getting more confused each day with all of this stuff...

You are FAR from the only one. Good luck!

so canadians do need a new CBC when they renew their E2 visas?

i have the form, but i'm yet to get my prints done -_-

Uhhhh...There shouldn't be a finger print form necessary for Canadian Criminal record checks. The RCMP don't run them through any system. In Canada the RC's run your ID. The FBI does run that check for Americans but the RCMP don't. Plus you have to apply in person at an RCMP branch to get a criminal record check. And even if this has changed and the Koreans want it there will be much more confusion and diassapointment when ALL of the Canadians inform them they can't get them.

Hey,

Why are you getting your fingerprints done? You don't need a Canadian criminal record check completed for renewing this year. You just need a Korean police record check. However, if you want to renew again in 2012 you will need a new RCMP and not Provincial criminal record check and/or a Korean police record check.

When you do need to get a new RCMP criminal record check next year you need to bring your own fingerprinting form to the local police station (I'm in Dobong-Gu, Seoul) as they said they don't provide a fingerprinting form that you need to send to the RCMP in order to get your RCMP criminal record check. As such:

"you can obtain an RCMP C-216C form by contacting CFSS e-mail at civilnps@rcmp-grc.gc.ca and provide the following information:
 your name
 mailing address, and
 specify the number of forms required." Apparently you should request a few forms as you may want to take several fingerprints to ensure good quality. Then when you have your fingerprints, you send the following to the stated address in this document: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/korea-coree/assets/pdfs/CRC-AVC-2010.pdf

This website is handy: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/fing-empr2-eng.htm

I hope this helps,
Erika :)

Here is the best info I can find...

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/fing-empr2-eng.htm

Here is my first problem.. "Forward your request with all relevant documents by mail or courier.
Note: Hand-delivered fingerprint submissions will not be accepted by local RCMP offices."

I was planning on just sending the fingerprint form home, with the other things on the list, and getting my mother to take it to the nearest RCMP branch. But says hand-delivered fingerprints won't be accepted? WTH?

Yes, on another document (I have it attached) that the embassy sent me, says nothing about this, but there is a link to the page above.

Why are you getting your fingerprints done? You don't need a Canadian criminal record check completed for renewing this year. You just need a Korean police record check. However, if you want to renew again in 2012 you will need a new RCMP and not Provincial criminal record check and/or a Korean police record check.

Sorry but you are wrong.

"As of January 1, 2011, the Korean Immigration Service will
implement new regulations related to the issuance of E-2 work
visas. Anyone who wishes to work as an ESL teacher in Korea
must provide a criminal record check issued by RCMP in Canada
and it should be notarised by the Canadian Embassy/Consulate
before submission to the Korean Immigration office."

Stated clearly on the pdf file I attached above.

Uhhhh...There shouldn't be a finger print form necessary for Canadian Criminal record checks. The RCMP don't run them through any system. In Canada the RC's run your ID. The FBI does run that check for Americans but the RCMP don't. Plus you have to apply in person at an RCMP branch to get a criminal record check. And even if this has changed and the Koreans want it there will be much more confusion and diassapointment when ALL of the Canadians inform them they can't get them.

that's a little bit impossible... how can we apply for a RCMP CBC in person when we're out of the country?

solution: apply for it during a vacation! again... impossible as immigration won't take CBC's that are older than sixth months...

back to the drawing board?


but someone has answered my question above! canadians DON'T need a new CBC for a visa renewal. that's wonderful news. i will hold onto my fingerprint forms for next year...!

Why are you getting your fingerprints done? You don't need a Canadian criminal record check completed for renewing this year. You just need a Korean police record check. However, if you want to renew again in 2012 you will need a new RCMP and not Provincial criminal record check and/or a Korean police record check.

Sorry but you are wrong.

"As of January 1, 2011, the Korean Immigration Service will
implement new regulations related to the issuance of E-2 work
visas. Anyone who wishes to work as an ESL teacher in Korea
must provide a criminal record check issued by RCMP in Canada
and it should be notarised by the Canadian Embassy/Consulate
before submission to the Korean Immigration office."

Stated clearly on the pdf file I attached above.

are you sure this is for a renewal, and not a NEW visa? i just want to make sure.  :D

The contributing agency doesn't apply to you. Leave it blank. It's for people getting sposored into the country...or something like that.

I went throught this a month ago. I mailed it to Canada and had a family member mail it from there. It was done in under 2 weeks because my name and birthdate didn't match with any criminals.

Let me know if you need any more info.

are you sure this is for a renewal, and not a NEW visa? i just want to make sure.  :D

I signed my renewal papers the other day and at the bottom it said I needed apostilled degree and apostilled CRC.

Awesome news for all of us renewing in August...

Hello Teachers,

Just to be very clear.

If you are renewing August 25th 2011, you will not need to provide a new Federal level CRC apostilled or the apostilled diploma.

IF you do have plans to stay longer, if you are renewing in March 1, 2012 or August 25th 2012, YOU WILL NEED to provide Federal level Criminal Record checks with apostilled and copy of your diploma apostilled.

**if you are Canadian, you will need both documents "Notarized"

This applies to all SMOE teachers with, even with E2, F2, F4 visas.

Thank you,

Jon Pak
Lead Coordinator
SMOE

http://etis.sen.go.kr/notice/board.do?cmd=view&bcfNo=603469&bNo=101070898

Here is my experience with the requirements, based on my research and understanding of the issues.  As always with Korea, you may get a nicer or angrier person behind the desk and get different answers.
On when it's required:
In general, they do require an RCMP check.  For just about everything, if you get a grumpy immigration agent, or if you only gotten non-RCMP ones before.  One exception: existing teachers who renew at the exact same job can have a 1 year grace period before needing the specifically RCMP check, but that also depends on how nice your immigration agent is feeling.  Also, after you get the RCMP one on your next re-new, new visa, you'll never be asked for a back home check again, as long as you stay in Korea.  Supposedly.
On the check itself:
It doesn't matter if it's vulnerable sector anymore, but it HAS TO be RCMP.  If it's not on RCMP letterhead, immigration won't accept it.  I found this out the hard way.
On why the process is so annoying from the Canadian end:
The RCMP will often (not always, but often) refuse to do the check if you "live" in an area in Canada with their own municipal or provincial police force.  They don't want to be bothered with checks if they don't have to. They figure that if you're local enough to hand it to them, you're local enough to be bothering your local force instead.  That's why you have to mail the request form in.  That's also why the form needs fingerprints, because you are not there in person to verify your ID*.   The only exceptions to this (as far as I know) are rural places with no local force, ie. where the RCMP is the only force.  THEN you can just walk in. The RCMP can afford to take this position because in Canada all the forces check the same national criminal database.  Korea is not aware of this fact, and probably wouldn't change their minds even if they were.

Just be happy that you'll (supposedly) only have to do it once, then you can just do Korean police checks for every contract renewal or job change afterwards.  Unless the law changes again, which it will.

*This is also why the RCMP doesn't do vunerable sector by mail; you're supposed to be bugging your local guys for that kind of stuff.  Which is why Korea no longer requires Canadians to get a vulnerable sector check, because otherwise the check couldn't be  an RCMP one for many Canadians.

Thanks Davox... Great info!

ah-ha!

thank you to everyone who's posted here. good info :D.

i think i will send in for a CBC then ;)

My contract finished. I'm in Canada, but will be returning to Korea in three weeks. I want to have my new CBC taken care of while I'm here. But here in Ontario the police stations now only do criminal checks for people who reside in their jurisdiction. If you can't show residency they won't do it. I'm now a non-resident of Canada, so have no permanent address here. They asked where I last lived in Canada. I said British Columbia and they say I have to get it done there!!!! What on earth is going on? I've never had a problem like this before getting a CBC done in Canada.

If anyone can offer me some advice here I'd really appreciate it.

On another thread I read a post saying 'vulnerable sector' background checks are no longer required? A regular criminal background check from the RCMP is sufficient? If this is true?

If it is, it will explain the extraordinarily difficult time I've been having getting a vulnerable sector check done. I'm in Canada now and I can't get any police department, fingerprint service etc to do a vulnerable sector check for overseas work.

Is it no longer required? If so, I'll be a happy man. Can someone in the know please let me know.

Thank you.

mods: Can you please leave this up for a day so I can get a response, then add it to the general CBC thread. I'm really going bonkers here.

I just arrived in Korea, and all I got was a regular criminal record check. That being said it still took quite a while. About 6 weeks from when I order it from my city police (who is in cahoots with the RCMP), and then another few weeks to get all of the notarizing done before it was ready to be sent in with the VISA application.

That is strange, I have been here seven months and I did mine at the city police station in Canada and it took about 10 minutes, and included the vulnerable sector check.   I have not heard you do not need it anymore.

The updated regulations last year said we needed a VS check from the RCMP. As you've discovered, the RCMP just doesn't do VS checks for overseas private work. South Korea has apparently decided that the RCMP part is more important than the VS part, since they can't get both.  You MUST have an RCMP check done for a new contract now. Do NOT get one from your local police. Only RCMP checks are now accepted.

(If you're in Quebec, getting a check has sucked for several years. I had to hire a private agency to get a national criminal record check done by a police station in PEI, since the RCMP times were too long. Now only RCMP will be accepted.)

That is strange, I have been here seven months and I did mine at the city police station in Canada and it took about 10 minutes, and included the vulnerable sector check.   I have not heard you do not need it anymore.

The regulations have changed as of 6 months ago.  Now your check needs to be on RCMP letterhead and it does not need to be vulnerable sector.  So that's why.